Floorstanding loudspeakers — Aequo Audio Ensium

Aequo Audio, based in Eindhoven in the Netherlands, lists the Ensium as a bass-assisted three-way floorstander. It builds on the earlier Ensis, introduced in 2015, but moves to the company's Diluvite cabinet material and raises the crossover to the bass section from 100 Hz to 170 Hz. Aequo was founded by Ivo Sparidaens, who remains its chief technologist, and its current range places the Ensium as the assisted-bass model next to the passive Adamantis. The Hybrid version was priced at EUR 44,900 in the Netherlands including 21% VAT.

Key specs that matter

The low range goes to a 10.5-inch woofer with a mineral-coated alloy cone whose voice coil moves up to 50 mm, a 5-inch mineral-filled polypropylene composite driver handles the midrange, and an SF40 high frequency unit is fitted behind the EHDL horizontal dispersion lens. Aequo gives a range of 16 Hz to 45 kHz at -3 dB measured in-room and a sensitivity of 91 dB. Nominal impedance is 8 ohm with a minimum of 5 ohm. Each speaker measures 116 cm high, 42 cm wide and 52 cm deep and weighs 129 kg. Maximum linear output across the full range is rated above 116 dB.

Engineering and use context

The bass assistance comes from ARPEC, the Analog Room and Placement Extension Controller. It takes the incoming full-range speaker signal and adds current to the input voltage at low frequencies, which Aequo likens to driving the woofer with an amplifier of more than 500 W, and it does so without digital signal processing while keeping the drivers in time and phase alignment. Two stepless rotary controls on each speaker set room size, from XXS to XXL, and placement, from corner to free-standing. Because ARPEC works entirely in the analogue domain, no digital conversion stage is placed in the signal path of any driver. The Diluvite Nanocast-MMC enclosure turns vibration into heat, and Aequo states it is two times stiffer than aluminium with ten times better damping.

Pairing

The company gives 10 W as its lowest workable amplifier power and advises more than 30 W, with 200 W as the long-term maximum the speaker will handle. Each speaker offers one pair of speaker terminals plus a mains input for the bass section. Custom lacquers can be ordered alongside the standard colour and wood choices.

Alternatives

The Aequo Adamantis is a fully passive three-way floorstander in the same cabinet size, using a 10-inch aluminium woofer.